A very tired and very pregnant Stephanie waddled into her daughter's nursery and flipped on the nightlight. Danielle stood up in her crib, gave a pathetic wail of "Mama!" and raised her arms, demanding to be picked up.
"Are those new teeth bothering you again?" Stephanie whispered. "Come here."
She gingerly lifted Danielle from her crib and sat down with her in the rocking chair. As Danielle continued to sob softly, Stephanie rocked her back and forth humming every lullaby she could think of. After several minutes the sobbing dissolved into sniffles as Danielle buried her head into her mother's chest, her blonde curls gently brushing Stephanie's chin.
With Danielle drowsy but still awake, Stephanie stood up and shifted her daughter to the side to rest on her hip with barely any space next to her growing baby bump. She placed the toddler back into her crib and then walked over to the closet and reached for a box on the top shelf. Thankfully her husband was fast asleep or he would have panicked at her performing such as strenuous action at this stage in her pregnancy.
"This guy should help cheer you up," she said as she pulled Mr. Bear out from the box and placed him in the crib next to Danielle.
"Dani, meet Mr. Bear! Your Grandma Pam gave him to me when Aunt Michelle was born," she explained. "He's gotten me through some pretty rough times, so I think he can help you, too."
Stephanie watched as Danielle silently eyed the stuffed animal, seemingly unamused. However, after a moment's hesitation, the sleepy toddler reached over and grabbed Mr. Bear by the nose, placing it promptly in her mouth.
Stephanie giggled. "Whatever helps you with the teething pain, baby girl!"
She soothingly rubbed her daughter's back for a few seconds. "I was hoping that one day you and Mr. Bear would be as close as he and I were, but you do already have Doctor Kitty that you got from Grandpa Danny and Grandma Vicky last Christmas, so maybe you can share Mr. Bear with your baby sister."
Stephanie's eyes suddenly welled up with tears as she envisioned the future with her two daughters, best friends who would frequently fight but would ultimately have each other's backs no matter what, just like her and DJ. She sighed happily then smiled, looking back down at Danielle who had finally fallen back asleep clutching Doctor Kitty in one hand and holding Mr. Bear's nose with the other.
Stephanie quickly picked up Mr. Bear and wiped the slobber from his nose. "How Rude!" she whispered. She placed him back in the crib and kissed Danielle goodnight before turning the nightlight off and returning to bed.